Sonne: My 74th Blog of the year 2026 (AKA the history of the Football (Soccer) men's World Championship starting from 1994, right until 2022, & list of football (Soccer) playing countries competing in the group stages of the tournament)

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in gaming that Dad has purchased the Formula One 04 PlayStation 2 game on Trade Me for me on the 3rd of May (And I haven't played it since I used to have PCSX2, but I no longer do it since I prefer the real thing, such as the real McCoy, & I had to pay it due to additional postage & handling as well as the game itself (And on May 3rd that I was playing Gran Turismo 7 (For which has always been an cracker that came out in 2022 thinking that it's the new 2005 & 2008 all over again where they released Star Wars Battlefront II (2005 version) & Grand Theft Auto IV respectively as the other decent bangers) throughout, in preparation of playing the Formula One 04 game such as racing the Super Formula SF23 car once (A modern day single seater race car that competes in Japan's premier racing series of Super Formula that's in place of the current F1 car) as well as both the Gran Turismo F3500-B once & F3500-A twice (Both inspired by Formula One open wheelers during the early 90's golden heyday halcyon period) respectively, at one of my fave F1 racing tracks that is Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which is home of the annual Canadian Grand Prix (And Aunty Tan once told me that she's been to that circuit before along with Rejean when they walked throughout the venue themselves).

And secondly in music that the song from the American rock band Tantric, 'Breakdown', has seriously becoming one of my fave songs from the band itself (And it is a one-hit wonder anyway) since I first heard that song taken from the CART Champ Car movie of Driven starring Italian American film star Sylvester Stallone released way back in 2001 which was a disaster, compared to F1: the Movie (I've got it on Blu-ray already in my bedroom) also starring Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt (Who appeared in the Delonghi coffee machine advert on TV lately) that came out last year for which was arguably top notch (And it was nominated for an Oscar this year), it's showtime (As Johnny Cage played by New Zealander Karl Urban (Who portrayed the role of both Eomer & John 'Reaper' Grimm in the Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers & the Return of the King as well as the Doom movies respectively) would say in the upcoming Mortal Kombat II movie due for release in May this year).

And thirdly in football (Soccer) that I will be doing my story about the history of the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup since I was born in 1991 starting from 1994 where Brazil won their unprecedented 4th Football (Soccer) men's World Cup after their penalty shoutout win against Italy (Well, I was too young to remember that at the time) who should've won that certain tournament, when Roberto Baggio missed that certain penalty shot during the shootout where the Brazilians, especially their football (soccer) team paid tribute to the country's most successful racing car driver who took his own life in a fatal crash during a Grand Prix race in Imola, Italy of the late great Ayrton Senna (Who was the last before the late Jules Bianchi back in 2015 (Same year that Justin Wilson had been tragically killed which triggered the introduction of the aero screen in 2020 for extended cockpit head protection) a year after being also involved in a fatal accident during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix (That prompted Formula One to introduce the halo that is designed for head protection in the cockpit as well also back in 2018 in response to Bianchi's tragic passing, just like a wooden plank that help slow cars down being implemented (Just like in NASCAR where these stock cars are being fitted with restrictor plates at superspeedways in Atlanta, Daytona, & Talladega) in the aftermath of Senna's tragic death, then further enhanced safety changes at circuits were brought in such as the Tamburello & Villeneuve corners being replaced with chicanes at the Imola circuit in Italy as a response to the deaths of Senna, & the late Austrian driver of Roland Ratzenberger during qualifying a day before the race way back in 1994) according to the previous stories on my blogs, then in 1998 where the Brazilians (Who had one of their star player suffering epilepsy hours prior to kick-off) missed out on defending the crown against the hosts at the time of France who produced a sheer brilliance from one of the relatively unknowns also at the time of Zinedine Zidane who scored 2 goals in the final which was marred by the sending off from Marcel Desailly (Who was the 3rd after both Argentinians of Pedro Monzon & Gustavo Dezotti in 1990 when West Germany won) by the Moroccan referee in which Didier Deschamps was the first Frenchman to lift the trophy aloft, before in 2002 that Brazil won their 5th & most recent World Cup to date, against Germany with their star player Ronaldo (Not Cristiano himself, the Brazilian one) producing a bit of magic as he scored a brace (And it was Cafu who was the last Brazilian to lift the trophy) in his comeback from a serious injury sustained in a Coppa Italia final in 2000-01 where he thought that his career was going to end when he returned from a previous injury when he suffered a debilitating, complete rupture of his right knee patellar tendon against Lazio, as his final lasted 6 minutes prior to his knee being blown up (And then he returned to full fitness when the Brazilians triumphed), then in 2006 (Which was 20 years ago) that the Italians managed to win on penalties against the French who played with 10 players after the French captain had been shown the red card due to that one particular incident that he claimed that he headbutted an Italian player who exchanged insults with each other was at fault according to the previous stories on my blogs (And William Gallas said that he would've taken the penalty first during the shootout after Zidane (Who was the 4th after Desailly to be given the marching orders, & 2nd Frenchman to do so) got sent off by the Argentinian referee, but he did not in fact according to one of his stories about his French teammate at the time of 'Zizou', & it could've been lucky if France won should Zinedine Zidane had not been sent off when at that moment when current Uzbekistan coach/manager Fabio Cannavaro who was the last Italian to hoist the trophy aloft) where it was indeed redemption 12 years in the making for Italy of winning the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup for the first time since 1982, meanwhile in 2010 that Spain were crowned champions for the first time when they beat the Netherlands (Who had Johnny Heitinga being the last man to be sent from the field in the World Cup final) with Andres Iniesta providing the heroics with a match winning goal at extra time (In which Iker Casillas at that moment, was the first & only Spanish captain to lift the World Cup trophy, 2 years after they would win Euro 2008, & 2 years before they even retained the Euros at Euro 2012, the last time the Spanish would win the European Football Championship (Before that it was Portugal at Euro 2016, then Italy at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament that was held in 2021), until Euro 2024 where they became the most successful in Europe after their win in the final against England in Berlin, Germany which was by far Spain's finest performances to date, in recent memory), despite being cautioned for taking his jersey off whilst celebrating his goal, just like Mario Götze did for Germany when they beat Argentina (Led by Lionel Messi who was in his first final which was an unsuccessful one where they had the wrong picture) back in 2014 that he provided the heroics inspired by Iniesta (In that moment, as Philipp Lahm was the last German to lift the trophy as he was the first since Lothar Matthaeus way back in 1990, & the first time they have won a World Cup since reunification when the Berlin wall had been collapsed then (As well as their first major football (Soccer) tournament victory since Euro 96), as well as 4 years later in 2018 (That is 2 years before COVID came along in March 2020 with the pandemic that lasted for 3 years & 2 months where it finished formally in May 2023) that France (Who were in their first World Cup final since 2006) managed to end 20 years of hurt when they beat first time finalists Croatia led by star talisman Luka Modric who had been awarded player of the tournament by 2 goals in that epic final (It was Hugo Lloris who became the 2nd French skipper, & the first since Deschamps way back in 1998 to hoist the trophy aloft in France's first major football (Soccer) tournament victory in 18 years (The last time they did before that was Euro 2000 where they beat Italy who thought they won when they were in the lead, until the French equalized to force it into extra time before scoring the golden goal by one of their players of David Trezeguet that triumphed them to glory since 1984 at home), & finally in 2022, that France (Who were also in the final again as they became the first defending champions at the time since Brazil way back in 1998, but it wasn't to be) had denied their chance of retaining their crown in which they fell short on spot kicks against the Argentinians led by Messi (The first man to hoist the World Cup trophy from his country since the late great Diego Armando Maradona way back in 1986 who had a blinder in which he scored 2 goals & then, being awarded the player of the final honours for his outstanding performance on the field (And it was rival player Kylian Mbappe who was the first man to score a hat-trick of goals in a World Cup final (And also was the 2nd ever teenage goal scorer in the final back in 2018, since the late Brazilian GOAT of Pele himself) since Geoff Hurst who was the first in 1966 for England against West Germany, but it wasn't to be when they manage to fall short at the end) in what was Messi's 2nd final appearance, for that really was a success where they had the right picture on that occasion, in which the 2022 final as best described as the match that made Lionel Messi) who ended a 36 year hoodoo of winning the tournament altogether, in one of the greatest Football (Soccer) men's World Cup finals of all time (Compared to the 2019 men's ODI Cricket World Cup final which was considered the greatest men's ODI Cricket World Cup finals in history where England led by Irish born player Eoin Morgan, won the tournament for the first time in history where it was virtually decided by a super over in which our Black Caps had fallen short in the end, as well in the rugby where the 1995 men's Rugby World Cup final was considered the greatest men's Rugby World Cup finals of all time (I thought it was 2015, but I'd like to take that back) where the Springboks had to win that thriller at extra time, against the All Blacks with a match winning field goal provided by Joel Stransky that united the host country, as well as their late leader of South African president at the time Nelson Mandela, according to the previous blogs that I did (Other contenders were the 2003 (Where England had to do it at extra time with a winning drop goal scored by Jonny Wilkinson against the hosts, & reigning champions at the time of the Wallabies) & 2023 finals (Where South Africa had a narrow win by a single point against New Zealand who were down to 14 players as the Boks would gone on to successfully defend the title in which they became the 2nd side to do so after the AB's back in 2015) even though we lost in the final where we could've regained the men's RWC that we must've inflicted the scars of '95 (A year before we finally won a rugby test series against South Africa on South African soil 2 - 1 following numerous attempts that have failed us before that way back in 1996, but it'll return this year in a highly anticipated 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' 4 match test series between the 2 main rivals in international rugby of both the Boks, & the All Blacks (Just like Argentina & Brazil in world football (Soccer), then Germany against the Netherlands as well as England Vs Scotland, & Mexico & the United States, meanwhile it is India against Pakistan in cricket (But the oldest cricket rivalry of them all would have to be Australia Vs England where it all started in 1882 when English cricket was dead after shockingly losing to the Aussies by 7 runs in a cricket match at the Oval in London where English cricket had been dead & buried, then the body would be cremated & the Ashes to be taken on Aussie soil), & also in the league such as Australia & New Zealand), as a replacement for the Rugby Championship scheduled to take a 1 year hiatus) just like in 2023, & last but not least, the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix that was widely regarded as the greatest Formula One Grand Prix races of all time where rain had been delayed for 4 hours, but only one man who stood out that is British driver Jenson Button (The world champion from 2009) of McLaren that he raced at the time who would gone on to win the rain sodden Grand Prix after starting 21st on the grid (Other contenders were the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton (The late Sir Bobby Charlton, Jonny Wilkinson, the late Sir Jack Hobbs, & Shaun Edwards of British motor racing) who had to pass German Timo Glock on the final lap of the race just to beat Brazilian Felipe Massa for the World Championship (And it just had to be), & the 1993 European Grand Prix where "The lap of the gods" had struck when the late Brazilian hero of Ayrton Senna who overtook 4 other cars (Including Austrian Karl Wendlinger, then both future world champions of German Michael Schumacher & British driver Damon Hill (Son of the late Graeme the former world champ himself), & then the eventual champion Alain Prost) after starting 5th on the grid during the miserable conditions, & gone on to win that certain Grand Prix race) out of the 24 runners), but here is the preview of the 2026 tournament altogether featuring the 48 different competing countries who are placed in their respective groups (While 26 different football (Soccer) playing nations will return from the previous tournament in 2022 (Like Argentina (The 3 time winners from 1978, 1986, & at the last but most recent one in 2022 where they'll defend their crown), Australia (Their best result was from the round of 16 in both the 2006 & 2022 tournaments respectively), Belgium (Where they finished 3rd in the 2018 tournament as their best result of the World Championship), Brazil (The last time the Brazilians tasted success was in 2002 after previously winning the 1958, 1962, 1970, & 1994 tournaments throughout altogether), Canada (Co-hosts of this year's tournament), Croatia (Their best result was 2nd, in which they were defeated against the eventual champions of the French back in 2018), Ecuador, England (Who haven't won in 60 years where they last lifted the trophy on home soil in 1966), France (The twice world champions from way back in 1998, & back in 2018 who'll be seeking to regain the World Championship after falling short on penalties against the Argentinians themselves in 2022), Germany (Who last lifted the trophy in 2014 after previously becoming the world champions in 1954, 1974, & 1990), Ghana, IR Iran, Japan (Their best result was the Round of 16 4 times in which they have never reached beyond them through to the quarters (That was back in 2002 when they co-hosted it with South Korea in that they were beaten against Turkey, then Paraguay also back in 2010, followed by Belgium back in 2018 in one of the greatest comebacks of all time ever, in the history of the World Championship, & against the Croatians on spot kicks last time out in the 2022 tournament), Korea Republic (Also their best result in which they finished 4th where they lost to the Turkish during the 3rd/4th place playoff when they co-hosted the World Championship along with the Japanese), Mexico (Another one of the co-hosts of this year's tournament whose best result for them was in the quarters when they hosted the tournament twice in both 1970, & way back in 1986), Morocco (The surprise package of the last tournament in 2022 as they reached the semis which was their best result altogether (They finished 4th when they lost against Croatia) who had been were declared the champions of AFCON in the aftermath of the Senegalese getting DQ'd), the Netherlands (Their best result was runners up long ago in 1978 where they were defeated against hosts at the time of Argentina, then in 2010 against Spain), Portugal (Who finished 3rd in 1966 where they beat a Soviet Union team during the 3rd & 4th place playoff), Qatar (Previous hosts of the 2022 tournament who had to take part in the Asia qualifiers to qualify for the World Championship), Saudi Arabia, Senegal (Who thought that they've won the AFCON title, but they were later stripped for intentionally walking off the field following a penalty decision that delayed the game for 20 to 30 minutes), Spain (The 4 time Euro champions who are the title favourites of that competition after going into the campaign 31 games unbeaten where they're seeking to emulate their one & only success back in 2010), Switzerland (Who regularly appear at the tournament since 2006), Tunisia, Uruguay (The two time world champions who triumphed at the inaugural tournament in 1930, then 1950 when it was back on 5 years after the end of World War II, & they haven't won the entire World Championship since), & USA (One of 3 Co-hosts of the tournament with their best result coming in at the historic first ever World Championship in 1930 with 3rd place), compared to 4 are back from 2018 (Colombia, Egypt, Panama, & Sweden), then 3 have returned from the 2014 tournament (Algeria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, & Cote D'Ivoire), meanwhile 3 are back from 2010 (New Zealand, Paraguay, & South Africa), also then only one from 2006 (Czechia (Who once competed under the name of the Czech Republic), & 2002 (Türkiye (In which they competed under the name Turkey), then 3 return from 1998 (Austria, Norway, & Scotland), as well as just one from 1986 (Iraq), & both from 1974 (Democratic Republic of Congo (They were competing under the name Zaire), & Haiti), + 4 will make their tournament debut such as Cabo Verde, Curacao, Jordan, & Uzbekistan, while for the 3rd World Championship in a row where the 7 champions of 1 current (The Argentinians) & 6 former (The Brazilians, then the English, France, the Germans, the Spanish, & the Uruguayans) will line up in this years tournament), so here it is:

Group A

Mexico (Co-hosts)

South Africa

Korea Republic

Czechia

Group B

Canada (Co-hosts)

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Qatar

Switzerland

Group C

Brazil

Morocco

Haiti

Scotland

Group D

USA (Co-hosts)

Paraguay

Australia

Türkiye

Group E

Germany

Curacao

Cote D'Ivoire

Ecuador

Group F

The Netherlands

Japan

Sweden

Tunisia

Group G

Belgium

Egypt

IR Iran

New Zealand

Group H

Spain

Cabo Verde

Saudi Arabia

Uruguay

Group I

France

Senegal

Iraq

Norway

Group J

Argentina (Defending champions)

Algeria

Austria

Jordan

Group K

Portugal

DR Congo

Uzbekistan

Colombia

& Group L

England

Croatia

Ghana

Panama

And lastly the latest in the rugby, especially the latest Super Rugby Pacific report as the Hurricanes manage to survive against the Crusaders who managed to get an defensive bonus point for losing by 7 points or less at Hnry Stadium in Wellington (The stadium that both Dad & Raewyn had been to as they saw a NRL league game between the New Zealand Warriors (Who had beaten the Paramatta Eels lately in Sydney according to one of Dad's comments that I heard on the 3rd of May, even though we're 2nd on the table, & are trailing behind the table topping Penrith Panthers before the Wahs take the bye in round 10 of the competition), & the Dolphins) for that really was a cracker, then the Western Force pull off a stunning win against the New South Wales Waratahs in a close game in Sydney before a day later that the Highlanders fell short against the Fijian Drua who kept their chances of making the playoffs alive in Ba therefore ending the Landers quest of making the post-season, as well as their aspirations of reaching the playoffs, is going to take a hit since the Drua were too hard at home for the Highlanders who have their chances of sneaking into the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs have been dealt another blow, as well as the Blues thrash Moana Pasifika in their final ever battle of Auckland at North Harbour Stadium in Albany (And I mean what a game that was, but there was a try to Moana with Mills Sanerivi scoring after taking a tap & go, then they must've passed it to a player who was lifted like a lineout maul which has drawn inspiration from the Springboks as well as their coach Rassie Erasmus, & the Paul Roos Gimnasium schoolboy rugby first XV in South Africa at least with their trick play known as a midfield lineout, with assistant coach Tom Coventry who called the shots), & last but not least, the Queensland Reds were able to pull off a textbook victory over the ACT Brumbies who should've lost by less than 7 just like the Crusaders did, even if they had got the bonus point in Brisbane.

And here are the list of matches taking place in round 13 of this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition

Crusaders Vs Blues: Te Kaha Stadium, Christchurch

Queensland Reds Vs Chiefs: Lang Park, Brisbane

Highlanders Vs New South Wales Waratahs: Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin

Moana Pasifika Vs Hurricanes: North Harbour Stadium, Albany

& ACT Brumbies Vs Western Force: Canberra Stadium, Canberra

Bye: Fijian Drua

So that is my 722nd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 74th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Animal I Have Become: My 73rd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that there will be security guarding the area at a signing of the Whanganui lands Treaty settlement at Kaiwhaiki Marae on the weekend of the 2nd to 3rd of May this year, even though legislation enforcement officers are ready to respond to certain social media posts appearing to encourage disrupting the event of a potential violence, including calls for the opposition urging guns, & to block that venue of the road to the Marae, just outside Whanganui where the settlement is due to be on the dotted line on May 2nd for which is concerning, especially messages about attendees who take shotguns illegally to the event, then obstruct access to the venue as the signing of He Rau Tukutuku, the Deed of Settlement for Nga Hapu o Te Iwi o Whanganui, is expected to be attended by Government ministers & Crown officials as well as iwi leaders from throughout the motu & hundreds of supporters, as Whanganui area manager Inspector Forlong said that cops were "Carefully of the posts in question" & were preparing their response as law enforcement probe threats to settlement signing, therefore that there will be an increased security presence throughout.

And secondly in politics that after the White House correspondents dinner in the United States where an shooting incident had been occurred that terrified the majority of people who were scared by gunfire in the most of circumstances, including that dreadful American leader (Who is literally by far, the most guarded leader in the world in terms of the president's bodyguards who also are in fact have the world's heightened security when he dodged not one, not two, but three assassination attempts as he'd been in the wars lately according to the previous stories on my blogs, & he is on some dodgy diet that most people around the world are avoiding (He drinks Coke Zero Sugar diet soda soft drink in fact, because he never drinks any alcoholic drink just like fellow politician Ted Kennedy, & he likes to eat salmon bagels with cream cheese anytime like for either lunch or dinner) in which they'll be extensive safeguarding towards him after that incident that horrified most people during the White House correspondents dinner that they had recently (In which the headline will prolly say: (FURTHER) GUARDING THE US PRESIDENT WHO SURVIVES SCARE, or more importantly: TO (STILL) SAFEGUARD A PRESIDENT IN WAKE OF NEAR TRAGEDY, or most likely be: GUNMAN JAILED FOR ATTEMPTED KILLING TOWARDS AMERICAN LEADER, in which the president's bodyguards who have been asked every American to leave him alone by showing respect towards the US President, but there had been updates as the gunman pleads not guilty of illegally getting beyond the president's bodyguards of him being armed with both firearms, & knives for example), the Vice President, as well as people who work for different media outlets, such as CNN for example, & celebs in which the United States is gearing up it's 250th anniversary on the 4th of July since the country became independent from the British in 1776 where the late George Washington became the first US President in history (And the White House have added a ballroom which is currently under construction that will have hi-tech security features since the incident at the White House correspondents dinner had happened in April, meaning that anyone can't access the building or facility I should say due to a crack down being enforced, but they're currently funding it for some reason like more than a billion US dollars meaning that it is dear to build at the moment as part of the anti-immigration package, compared to the newly built Te Kaha Stadium that costs 683 million New Zealand dollars with its final bill expected to top it off at 1 billion New Zealand dollars), while the US President announces that the White House correspondent's dinner is back on with the resumption of it, where it'll make a grand comeback which is due on July 24th, but under heightened, & increased security measures being brought into play, & in effect at Waldorf Astoria in Washington D.C. according to the world news section that I saw on the Whanganui Chronicle during my Dad's 57th birthday on June 5th (2 days before my big 35 due on the 7th of June) this year.

And thirdly in football/soccer related news that the 2nd world's largest sporting event behind the Summer Games, of the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup, for which is due to start on June 11th (June 12th New Zealand time) in Mexico City, between co-hosts Mexico (Who haven't missed a tournament since way back in 1990 as they had been given an expulsion for fielding overage players in a youth tournament, such as the one in 1988 at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in a scandal colloquially known as Cachirules that the Mexican football (Soccer) team have been kicked out of both the 1988 Seoul Summer Games, & the 1990 Football (Soccer) men's World Cup tournament being staged in Italy) who face off against South Africa (Who haven't been to a World Cup since they hosted it back in 2010, along with both the All Whites of New Zealand, & Paraguay who last appeared altogether in the same tournament) in a rematch of the 2010 opener at Soccer City in Soweto that resulted in a drawn game with a score line of 1-1 (The goal scorers were Siphiwe Thsbalala for Bafana Bafana, while Rafa Marquez equalized it for El Tri) as 16 years later (Our first match of the World Cup for the All Whites will be against Iran under heightened security on June 16th (15th in the US) in Los Angeles in a politically charged game regarding to the Middle East conflict (Otherwise known as that evil male Blondie's war), the same story begins again as it is back to where it all started 16 years apart, as the opener brings a, "16 years following their famous meeting in Johannesburg in 2010" bringing a, "Blend of jitters and jubilation, historical burden, & emotional vertigo," to this year's kickoff. While the match will see Mexico's Javier Aguirre, who was coach in 2010, return to lead the team against South Africa, with Mexico hosting the opening match of the 48-team tournament for the first time, in what would be a rematch 16 years in the making in that will be a repeat of the 2010 tournament's opening fixture for what will be the first World Cup match, in 1,272 days since the last game took place which was a World Cup final in Qatar in 2022, won by Argentina who became the new champions of the world for the first time since 1986, after their win on spot kicks against France who just narrowly missed out on defending the crown (The Argentinians will attempt to do that of becoming the first team to successfully retain the World Cup title, since Brazil in 1962 who was the last to do so, & of course, in what will be Lionel Messi's last ever World Cup tournament as he prepares to retire after that because I thought his international career was over after 2022, but it will be his last hurrah this year, & can he finish off his international football (Soccer) career with a win, but only if Argentina is in the final? I'd say not, but no winning captain has ever lifted the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup trophy twice, in which Messi will become the first man to do that if the Argentinians win it again).

And finally that any reason why that the Spanish Flu began is that they ended World War I in 1918 (A year before the Stanley Cup had been called off after 5 games into the finals before that in 1919, therefore it was the last prior to the NHL lockout that cancelled the entire 2004-05 season), while World War II got underway in 1939 when they managed to end the decade long Great Depression, & the Spanish flu epidemic is reminiscent to COVID (Which is also colloquially known as the modern day bubonic plague once described on CNN that I saw on a news report in 2020, when the pandemic was about to begin for that really was the black death of the 21st century, as many outbreaks have happened throughout human history, but there is just one outbreak with the first intense isolation, the plague...Actually, the mortality rate of both diseases is similar at 2.4% for COVID, & 2.5% for the Spanish flu. While the 1918 influenza murdered a disproportionate number of 25–40 year olds, its fair to say that COVID mostly affects those who are 65 or older) that we once had in 2020 until 2023 where we managed to survive the brunt force of it, but now they have that dreadful invasion since 2022 (Although the last conflict in Europe took place before that was in fact the Yugoslav Wars that lasted for a decade from 1991 until 2001 as referenced in Grand Theft Auto IV where the protagonist Niko Bellic who fought in the invasion in which he was an illegal immigrant who sought a life of crime in Liberty City in the US when it took place, while that shocking war is indeed the first full scale invasion in Europe since World War II from 1939 until 1945) & the Iran wars (For that I can't stand both invasions currently going on at the moment, not only because I hate it literally, but I want these conflicts to end therefore that I'm demanding peace, right here, & now (And the inflation rate is seriously high at the moment, especially fuel prices here in our country & the rest of the world since they closed the Strait of Hormuz permanently in response to the Iran conflict, but I'm always still playing the main GTA IV game & that expansion pack of the Ballad of Gay Tony because of my reaction of that shocking invasion since 2022 & the Iran wars respectively, & it looks like Iran could be winning the war due to having enough manpower as well as also having heaps of missiles, & lots of cheaper Shahed drones in fact), but they used to have one in Gaza, & last but not least, that terrible American leader's tariff policies regarding to the inflation rate that had been spiked therefore triggering a trade conflict towards Canada, China, & Mexico for that is worse than the Smoot-Hawley levels in 1930 (Which was during the heights of the Depression) that they imposed a year after the Great Depression began even with the stock markets were collapsing at all (Well, they hadn't done that until 2008-09 where they had a global financial economic recession before that took out A1GP World Cup of Motorsport series, as well as both Japanese car manufacturers of both Subaru, & Suzuki withdrawing from the WRC, & Honda who declared their intentions to pull out of Formula One as they were risen from the ashes under the name Brawn GP in Formula One, & lasted just the one season back in 2009 where it was a successful one as they had their fairytale season, before they rebranded it to Mercedes-AMG where they have been there since 2010 according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs) as part of the disruption that us, & the world is facing during this decade).

So that is my 721st blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 73rd of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the broadcasting & journalism fraternity here in New Zealand is in mourning, as one of former All Black Justin Marshall's friends of New Zealander Phil 'Giff' Gifford (Who had covered the men's Rugby World Cup 10 times as a sports journalist (In which was his occupation), from the inaugural tournament way back in 1987 where Australia & New Zealand were the co-hosts, all the way until the most recent one was in 2023 where it was held in France) has recently passed away aged 79 (Same age as Pops), with all of their thoughts, & heartfelt condolences go to his wife Jan, & his 3 kids in this emotional, but tough time, Rest in Love.

Phil Gifford

1947 - 2026

Life in the Fast Lane: My 72nd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the rugby that my standout rugby moment I watched on TV was the AB's-Ireland test in Dublin, which was from the year before where Damian McKenzie made the difference as he filled in for the concussed Beauden Barrett, & it was better than the England one (Not the one from last year, but also the year before) that would be my 2nd where we almost lost in the dying seconds with a penalty goal that had been missed after Anton Lienert-Brown had been sin binned, & on report by the referee for the dangerous hit, then a field goal at the death that gone astray in which the English should've won, therefore we manage to survive not one, but two close calls, while my 3rd was the 2015 men's Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand (Coached by Sir Steve Hansen until 2019, where Ian Foster took over by guiding us through to our first final since 2015), & the Wallabies for that was by far, the best men's RWC match I have ever watched on TV where Dan Carter in his final game of all forms of rugby as he closed out his chapter along with our skipper at the time of Richie McCaw & 3 others (Although Tony Woodcock did not play through injury) of scoring 19 points in an epic final (His best test ever since back in 2005 during the 2nd test of the Lions series against the British & Irish Lions in Wellington according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs) for that was the greatest men's RWC finals of all-time in which the last time the AB's would gone on to win the men's Rugby World Cup (The only one we did triumph away from home, but the 2023 final which could've gone away in that we fell short by the barest of margins (Including a sending off by also our skipper at the time, then a no try decision that ruined us from regaining the title) in which the Springboks continued their dominance in the international rugby arena therefore the William Webb Ellis cup, remains in South Africa, but let's say that we win the men's RWC next year in order to take back the Wiremu, what's rightfully ours).

And secondly in the gaming department that I haven't played Grand Theft Auto V since either September, or October last year because of GTA IV being my preference that I play every day to reminisce both the Iran, & that dreadful invasion since 2022 (Which is still going, even though it's been 40 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster had struck for that was the most serious accident ever to occur in the nuclear power industry, as the disaster had occurred on April 25th to the 26th way back in 1986, when technicians at reactor Unit 4 attempted a poorly designed experiment as Ukraine marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster when Reactor number 4 at the part was blown up on the 26th of April, as millions were exposed to radiation, hundreds of thousands forced to escape, & wide swathes of land contaminated, when the Chernobyl accident remains one of the defining moments in the twilight years of the Soviet Union. As Moscow sought to obscure the disaster while quietly evacuating more than 116,000 people from the area surrounding the plant in the days after the reactor exploded), but some gamer in Scotland which is in the UK had purchased an advanced Xbox 360 console at a flea market such as a local boot sale which contained the adapted version of Grand Theft Auto IV which was a 2007 beta build dev kit worth 5 UK pounds which is 11 & a half New Zealand dollars as a unit (Featuring a Rockstar North label) that contained over 120 GB of data, including cut content, unused assets, & an unfinished prototype zombie mode, while findings include functional ferry systems, early music/radio, and an aforementioned "Zombie" mode, although former Rockstar technical director Obbe Vermeij confirmed the legality of the assets, but the significance is that it is considered a major gaming preservation find.

And thirdly that in 2023 that the most recent Football (Soccer) men's World Cup winning captain Lionel Messi who was the first player to win the FIFA men's player award via vote, & a record seven times as he was the first man to do so following his impressive 2022-23 season including helping his country win a 3rd World Cup in 2022 according to the history in the Gran Turismo 7 game that I've covered along with the 2004-05 NHL lockout 2 blogs ago, & Roger Federer's retirement in tennis on my previous blog.

And lastly that I'm planning to watch the first Star Wars movie by next year due to the space opera franchise celebrating 50 years since the release of the original, but I have not watched a movie since Austin Powers in Goldmember (For that was the movie of the year here in New Zealand back in 2002) when both Aunty Tan & Rejean (Who I have not seen both of them for 118 days as of April 30th) were here in December.

So that is my 720th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 72nd of this year, viva Ukraine.

Hotel California: My 71st Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that April 28th this year marked 30 years since the tragic Port Arthur shootings took place in Australia where 35 innocent lives had been taken by a gunman who is currently serving a life sentence for the mass murder charge that resulted firearm legislation reforms being carried out, such as the war on semi-automatic rifles used in the massacre for which had been strict (Then in December last year that there was another tragic mass shooting near Bondi Beach in Sydney that claimed 15 lives who were caught in crossfire for that was Port Arthur 2.0 according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs in one of Australia's darkest days since way back in 1996 (For that was the death of semi automatic high powered rifles in Australia after Port Arthur, & the birth of Australia's most successful wrestlers male or female of WWE's Rhea Ripley who is one of women's wrestling's top stars this decade (And she was the top lady of the year in 2023 according to one of the pro wrestling magazines after her title victory against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 which was one of the best women's wrestling matches at 'The Grandest Stage of Them All' despite the slowest of starts that they had once it started (They once had Emma as Australia's original female wrestler, now it's Ripley who had since been taken over (Although she became the new WWE Women's Champion when she defeated against her main rival of African American female wrestler Jade Cargill at WrestleMania XLII (Same night that Cody Rhodes managed to beat Randy Orton to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship during the main event of night 1 despite injury, a night before Roman Reigns was able to successfully challenge for the WWE World Heavyweight title as he manhandled CM Punk during night 2 which was the main event) held in Las Vegas, before the lady known as 'Ripper Queen' defeated Cargill again when she remained as the champion at WWE the Clash in Italy (Where the Italian WWE fanatics were the loudest crowd out there (Compared to the French where they had Backlash the year before) according to the man known as 'The American Nightmare' (Who had a infamous stare down with Roman just before his match in which both Cody Rhodes, & Roman Reigns will both appear in the upcoming Street Fighter movie (Which features Samoan-American film star Jason Momoa (Who is a regular visitor of our country that is New Zealand) who plays one of the characters of Blanka as well), as both Guile, & the villainous Akuma (Gouki) characters respectively) in which he decimated the Austrian wrestler of the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther on that night to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship, along with Roman who overpowered Tama Tonga in his defence of the WWE WHC (Same night as the female wrestler from Hawaii, Sol Ruca (Well, her main roster debut was exactly this year following her graduation from NXT) who became the new WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship, in which she shocked the world by walloping the Irishwoman who was once the biggest stars of women's wrestling during the last decade (That was both the late Chyna during the 90s, & then Canadian Trish Stratus also during the noughties decade) that was the 2010s of Becky Lynch (Right before Ripley took over this decade which was the 2020s throughout, & has dominated since) who had been the champion since the last WrestleMania where she defeated AJ Lee just to regain the crown, before an announcement from the World Wrestling Entertainment came that there will be a new John Cena Invitational which showcases the next-gen of male wrestlers who have ambitions of competing in the WWE (Just like the Mae Young Invitational where young female wrestlers have took part of becoming the next big star, like Ripley for example who made her official World Wrestling Entertainment debut at the Mae Young Invitational back in 2017 (Same year that she made her NXT debut that was 4 years prior to her main roster debut in 2021), even as a blonde haired 20 year old just before undergoing her drastic transformation into a goth where she has black hair & makeup on where she has matured well) despite B-Fab & Charlotte who interfered on Ripley as both of them were attempting to come to aid towards Cargill's efforts of regaining the championship), but they now have a male Nigerian wrestler who hailed as the next John Cena, of Oba Femi (Who I saw him interviewed in one of the African related programmes on CNN briefly) where beachgoers are told to evacuate, before a suspect was killed while his son had been captured by authorities & taken into custody for the mass murder charge in which both hate speech & terror symbols had been outlawed in the state of New South Wales as well as changes to the gun laws that are being brought in which seemed to be effective in that security has been heightened in time for the extended Hanukkah celebrations around the world to stamp out any antisemitism, especially abuse being targeted (And this is just like Christchurch back in 2019 where a far-right extremist person opened fire by murdering 51 people who have Islamic beliefs for which was the worst shooting incident ever recorded on New Zealand soil that was colloquially known as the sequel to Aramoana way back in 1990, that resulted high powered guns being cracked down in order to address of keeping our country safe where firearm legislations have worked in that the United States had been lacked of, then that gunman got sent behind bars for life for which he is still serving time as a result of the mass killing charge, meaning that there's no escape if someone has a life sentence, & if they do, that there'll be time being added to the sentence of a prisoner).

And secondly that I wrote a blog last year about 2001 being not a great year in terms of motor racing as this year celebrates 25 years since Dale Earnhardt Sr's fatal accident during the Great American Race of the Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida which was won by Mike Waltrip (Brother of former NASCAR racer Darrell), then Alex Zanardi losing both limbs in a crash during a Champ Car race in Germany, & the CART movie of Driven starring Sly Stallone was released in cinemas for that by far, was the worst sports movie ever made for which was a clanger, compared to F1: the Movie (Well, I've never seen that film before compared to Driven for which I have seen it before) also starring Brad Pitt being released last year to critical acclaim in terms of rave reviews as I mentioned on my previous blogs before, meaning that it is a ripper of a movie to watch (Compared to the Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King that came out back in 2003 being the greatest Hollywood movie of all time in which was considered an absolute banger, & a masterpiece), especially for the F1 fanatics who were missing the action during the 5 week, 35 day break.

And thirdly I kept telling Pops that his memory his good because of him taking those meds every day in the morning, so I have always been keeping an eye on him throughout not only because Pops is getting older due to the fact that he's 78 at the moment (He'll be turning 79 4 weeks after my birthday for which is due on June 7th when I hit the big 35 (It will be at Thai Villa for lunch on that day which there will be less crowds turning up for a joint birthday get together), 2 days after Dad's, & 3 days before Aunty Tan (Dad will be 57 on June 5th here in Whanganui, meanwhile Aunty Tan will be 58 on June 10th back there in Canada at Mont Saint Hilaire with Rejean), but we're heading to Rutland Arms Inn on Mother's Day which is the 10th of May for a lunch there, then on May 30th that is Raewyn's daughter's birthday dinner at Caroline's there as well due to take place.

And finally that there was once a tennis story about professional Swiss star Roger Federer (The Xherdan Shaqiri of Swiss tennis) that it's been 4 years since his retirement in 2022 where he was about to hang up his shoes with the Laver Cup being his last as he teamed up with his old rival Rafael Nadal (Who is Spanish tennis's equivalent of Andres Iniesta) who retired the year before in a doubles match.

So that is my 719th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 71st of this year, viva Ukraine.

Freeze Frame: My 70th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the rugby that the first try scorer of the new Te Kaha Stadium (Compared to Colin Slade being the last try scorer at the old Lancaster Park stadium (Formerly Jade Stadium from 1998 until 2007, then AMI Stadium also from 2007 until 2011) according to the previous stories on my blogs) of departing Crusader & one test All Black Dallas McLeod who is set to join the Exeter Chiefs after this Super Rugby Pacific season when he joins his new club in time for the 2026-27 Gallagher Prem season on a lucrative contract signing deal.

And secondly onto the food stuff that I love meat pies as my fave New Zealand food compared to pasta being my overall favourite food as well, but I used to have Indian curries that Pops always loves despite the fact that I love them, & sushi due to the fact that it isn't good because of the worms that penetrate a person's brain, but I also love steak meals & burgers such as Burger King that I love as my favourite fast food restaurant (And I went on the 30th of April where I had a double whopper, just before I came to Cash Converters (My fave shop that I go to since EB Games here in New Zealand was shut down entirely) to buy a Tony Hawk's Underground PlayStation 2 game after lunch).

And thirdly that in the gaming that I love & enjoy the Rugby 06 PlayStation 2 game despite the scratched disc for which is better than the last decent rugby computer game sim that is Rugby 08, so I played 3 matches on Rugby 06 such as the Chiefs took on the New South Wales Waratahs at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, & won 63 - 0, then the All Blacks against Ireland in Hamilton with a comprehensive 70 - 0 score line, & the 3rd one I played a day later was between Los Pumas of Argentina taking on the All Blacks that I played with in Buenos Aires with a convincing 91 - 0 win, all on the club difficulty.

And lastly that that last year marked 20 years since the entire 2004-05 NHL season in Canada & the US, had been called off as a result of a lockout that other major sports leagues had increased higher attendances during the season, with the 2004–05 season (Which would've been the 88th season being played that was due to get underway in October 2004) famously cancelled entirely. Initiated by owners over labor disputes, these lockouts focused on introducing new salary cap policies, cutting player revenue percentages, & financial stability. These disputes severely impacted momentum, fan trust, and revenue, while that season was the longest and most significant, lasting 310 days from September 16, 2004, to July 13, 2005. It was the first time in North American professional sports that an entire season was cancelled due to a labor dispute. The owners forced a tough salary cap, ending the season, as the 2004–05 lockout was primarily driven by owners' desire for a hard salary cap to control rising player costs (And COVID as well as inflation prevented them from doing that if the season began), which they argued threatened the financial stability of smaller-market teams, while disputes focused on how league revenues were divided between owners and players, with owners pushing for a smaller share for players, then despite the 1994–95 lockout, average player salaries rose threefold between 1993 and 2004, fueling the 2004 lockout, as lockouts resulted in the introduction of a difficult salary cap, revenue sharing, and trimmed salary percentages for players, as well as the 2004–05 cancellation resulted in significant revenue losses, with some fans feeling betrayed and turning to alternative leagues like the AHL or European leagues, & the post-2004 lockout era introduced new loopholes to quicken the pace of the game & increase scoring chances/opportunities for which the 2004-05 lockout was by far to be the darkest moment in the almost 100-year history of the National Hockey League, & of course a watershed moment in the history of ice hockey with the lockout had been going on for about 10 months & 6 days when they covered 1,230 games not being played but as a result, the famed Stanley Cup hadn't been awarded for the first time since 1919 during the days of the Spanish flu outbreak that the Stanley Cup series had been called off following 5 games had been played for that I will be revealing my whole story about it in 3 blogs time.

So that is my 718th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 70th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Centerfold: My 69th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in rugby that Dylan Pietsch's chest tackle on a British & Irish Lions player during the 3rd Lions Series test in Sydney is about to become prohibited as World Rugby is announcing a legislation of the legality of the tackle height to the chest area beginning in junior right through to under 20 level this year, in an effort to stamp out on head contact due to rugby's continuous war on dangerous tackles for which had been strict since back in 2017 following a spate on high contact towards the players who tend to get concussed with head injuries also back in 2016.

And secondly continuing onto sport that we once had Wynton Rufer who played in the 1982 Football (Soccer) men's World Cup in Spain for the All Whites as our most successful New Zealand footballer/soccer player ever, compared to rugby when we once had Richie 'Rich' McCaw who is a former twice men's Rugby World Cup winning captain back for the All Blacks in both 2011 here in New Zealand, & 2015 in England as our most successful New Zealand rugby player, while in cricket that we also once had Sir Richard 'Paddles' Hadlee as one of our greatest but finest cricketers ever of our country, then league once had Mark 'Sharko' Graham as our greatest New Zealand league players ever, & in motor racing that we once had the late Denny Hulme who was the Formula One world champion in 1967 as New Zealand's greatest ever racing car driver.

And thirdly in Formula One that the 3.5 litre V8, V10 & V12 engines from that 1989-94 era rule along with the 3.0 litre V10s from 1995 until 2005 as well as 3.0 litre V12s from 1995 only before Ferrari switched to the fuel efficient V10s from the 1996 season until 2005, & 3.0 litre V8s which lasted from 1995 until 1997 before the 1998 season implemented those changes such as all constructors are powered by V10s until the 2005 season (In which former driver turned racing restorer & historian Jack Perkins praised about it along with most motor racing fans who thrived from the past before), compared to today where they currently have 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid engines since 2014 for that has always been sounding rubbish according to most fans (Especially 'Jacko/JP' who found out that today's F1 is boring due to the engine sounds not being loud enough to clearly hear through people's minds) throughout the Formula One fraternity (And there is mid season loophole changes, such as the practice session about to change that is due to increase from 60 minutes until 90 minutes due to a lack of racing, & practice throughout the 5 week, 35 day break that brought into play before the Miami Grand Prix takes place (Where A-listers will be there just like the ones who attend at a US Tennis Open event, unlike in Monaco where the glitz, & the glamour of riches have always turned up) since the cancellation of both the Bahrain, & Saudi Arabian GP's as a result of America's war on Iran that is still going, but it would never end while it looks like that the strait of Hormuz would remain shut down throughout permanently since there won't be any ceasefire deals happening all over the place, ah, you must be joking (Good lord).

And finally that Brian FM would have to be still by far, my fave radio station throughout the entire world because it's ad free, compared to the Rock FM radio station that I used to listen due to the fact that it has got ads in it, but I have never heard Channel X before, & it has not got a cult following exactly just like Brian (The station that plays rock, 80s exactly like the Sound, & adult contemporary just like More FM) for which is a gem at the moment due to the success of that tiny radio station that is broadcasting from a rubbishy little building.

So that is my 717th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 69th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Doctor! Doctor!: My 68th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in gaming that the Aussie sports games developer of Big Ant Studios seemed to fail because of their rugby, league & cricket gaming products has always been a flop in the gaming industry due to short development cycles that result in poor approval ratings like abysmal ones for example like Rugby 25 (That came out in February last year that has a 2 star rating on PlayStation Network, & once that game came out that they released another rugby game on the PS4 named Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge in which that one was better than Rugby 25, but every team is unlicensed besides one man, one myth & one legend of the late New Zealand rugby player who was widely regarded as the greatest of all time (The GOAT himself), Jonah Lomu), then Rugby League 26 (That was released in July also last year which has a 2 & a half star rating on PSN for which is better than Rugby 25), & Cricket 26 (Which was released in November last year in time for the previous Ashes series held in the 2025-26 season that currently has a 3 star rating also on the PlayStation Network when they praised the graphics, game mechanics, improved AI, & on-field gameplay of that game, saying that it is an iterative but significant improvement over Cricket 24, however, they noted the presence of frequent crashes and graphical bugs even after several patches in the first week post-release for that is way better than Rugby 25, & better than Rugby League 26 in fact).

And secondly in the rugby that that the Springboks bomb squad had remained intact when they won all but 2 games last year during the test season, including a 2 match test series win over Italy, then a one-off test victory against Georgia, as well as retaining the Rugby Championship despite dropping both games against the Wallabies in Joburg, then the AB's in Auckland, & completing another European Autumn tour series unbeaten against Japan at Wembley Stadium in London, then Italy, France, Ireland, & Wales therefore cementing their status as the early favourites to lift the William Webb Ellis cup for the 3rd time in a row next year according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs when the men's Rugby World Cup takes place down under in Australia (And can we stop the South African onslaught from happening (Especially from our All Black point of view as we are chasing our 1st men's RWC title since 2015 in England (We have a poor record but we rarely only won one tournament on foreign soil which is outside of New Zealand) that they always dominated when their reign began since 2019? We will find out in due course) in which the Boks are drawn in Pool B along with Italy, Georgia & Romania & even if they top their pool that they're on the same side of the draw as either the All Blacks, or the Wallabies with both sides willing to top Pool A (If we beat Australia, it will be South Africa in the quarterfinal in which we have never lost since 2007 against France in one of the biggest upsets of the history of the men's Rugby World Cup that was our worst performance ever (And we have made it to at least the semis at all the other tournaments), but if we lose to the Aussies, we must avoid the South Africans until the final, unlike that 2019 tournament that England produced arguably their finest performance in recent memory to beat New Zealand in the semifinal. A week later, they failed to turn up and were comprehensively beaten by South Africa in the final. As it turns out, England weren't the first team to play their final "early". Since the 1995 final, every side to have beaten the All Blacks at the World Cup has gone on to lose their next game.

1999 - Semi: New Zealand 31 - 43 France, then final: Australia 35 - 12 France

2003 - Semi: New Zealand 10 - 22 Australia, then final: Australia 17 - 20 England (During extra time)

2007 - Quarters: New Zealand 18 - 20 France, then Semi: England 14 - 9 France

& 2019 - Semi: England 19 - 7 New Zealand, then final: England 12 - 32 South Africa

In fact, since both the 1995 (AET) & 2023 losses against the Springboks was in the final (In which the South Africans had never ever lost due to the fact that they have a perfect 4 & 0 record every time they appear in a final, but just conceded the one try which was during the 2023 final), only one team has ever beaten New Zealand and gone on to win their next game at the same World Cup, namely the Wallabies way back in 1991.

And thirdly in football/soccer that the goal scored by France against the Republic of Ireland during the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup two legged qualifying play-off for the 2010 tournament in 2009 that resulted in a draw, should not have been stood due to an illegal handball by Thierry Henry who assisted the goal scored by William Gallas because there was no VAR back then (And they would have referred to it to a possible goal & red card should the video assistant referee have been available since it was introduced in 2018, mainly because it would have been a no goal meaning that the Irish would have gone through to the tournament instead on away goals loophole, & of course Henry would've been cautioned or sent off as well as he snuck a hand in there that cost the Republic of Ireland a place in the World Cup in South Africa).

And lastly that I have revealed the name of my Facebook friend Marisa Lopez's eldest daughter, & her name is McKenzie who goes by the nickname of 'Kenzie', is 12 or 13 years of age who lives in Florida in the United States who goes to junior high over there because of her being excited to be a part of the amazing OSHS Varsity Dance group recently according to the Facebook message that Marisa had posted, even though I never met her before along with Marisa (Marty's daughter from a previous relationship, & Andy's cousin) in person, but I've met her before on Facebook like I said before.

So that is my 716th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 68th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the entertainment world is in mourning as female American country singer, & actress of Dolly Parton (Otherwise known as the queen of country), has passed away due to a terminal illness about August last year (In which she kept it secret), but they already sent their thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences go to her family, & loved ones, rest in pieces (RIP).

Dolly Parton

1946 - 2026